Category — Italy

A fact not sufficiently appreciated by most holidaymakers is the con­siderable height of all inland parts of Sicily Island. There are no low lying plains or valleys in the middle of the island. The mountain­ous four fifths of the island is largely table land. Towns like Cal­tanissetta, Corleone, Piazza Armerina and Caltagirone are all table land towns, surrounded by ranges of hills and mountains. Climatically, these places are continental as compared with Palermo and Catania, with a drier, keener air, and sharp differences in temperature between night and day.

The south coast of Sicily is mainly rocky and precipitous, with cliffs varying between thirty and sixty feet in height. There are no mountains of any eminence behind them, so that the view of the island from this side is not impressive. A feature of this coast is the sandbanks which thinly border it. Between Gela and Scoglitti and to the east of Selinunte there are also sand-hills. As there are no natural harbours along this unbroken coast, which very much resembles that of the western Adriatic, it was absolutely impracticable during a southerly gale until the recent construction of the artificial ports of Licata, Porto Empedocle and Sciacca.

South of Catania, the coast, at first flat and straight, becomes rocky again at Cape Campolato, and, winding in curves, forms two of the few excellent natural harbours of Sicily, those of Augusta and Syracuse. From Cape Murro di Porco to Cape Passaro the land is still rocky, but fairly even.

To the west of Cape San Marco the cliffs along the coast become lower and disappear altogether after Mazzara del Vallo. From Mazzara del Vallo to Trapani the coast is flat and bordered by vineyards, which slope gradually upwards to the Monti di Gibellina. These vineyards produce the grapes from which Marsala wine is made. The only natural harbours on this western coast are those of Trapani and Marsala, both very inferior to those of the north and east coasts.

The volcanic island of Sicily is, of course, rich in mineral waters. The best-known of these, generally sulphurous or ferru­ginous, are found at Castroreale in the province of Mes­sina, at Acireale, Paterno, near Catania, Termini Imerese near Palermo, and at Sciacca on the south coast.

The continent of Europe is one big playground when it comes to festivals and events. No matter the time of year, there is certain to be something fun and entertaining on, whether it’s a music festival or a festival steeped in tradition.

Carnevale

Based in Venice, Italy – Carnevale is a wondrous and decadent renaissance festival. With amazing costumes and set against Italy’s picturesque water city of Venice, Carnevale is not to be missed!

St. Patrick’s Day

Get your green on for St. Patty’s day in Dublin, Ireland. With a massive parade, a treasure hunt that haves people ferreting all around the city and the ‘Skyfest’ (an enormous fireworks display) – St. Patrick’s Day is a week of ‘craic’ where it will be hard not to have a great time.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival

What to say about the Fringe festival? Well it has got to be the largest arts related festival on earth, with thousands of performances every year in 300 venues all around Edinburgh. It runs for three weeks in August, and quality of the comedy and drama and everything in between seems to get better every year.

Notting Hill Carnival

This London based festival will often get over half a million spectators, with crazy floats and costumed dancers – it’s a lot of fun. The festival is on the last weekend of August.

Oktoberfest

It may well be steeped in history, but we all know Oktoberfest is all about one thing, the beer! With huge tents full of the delicious and frothy stuff – you’ll mingle with a lot of Australians, Italians and Germans too of course. It’s one of those festivals you really need to go to at least once, just to experience it. Occurs every year – with the majority of the event actually occurring in September and running into earlier October.

So there you have it, five fantastic festivals you should surely check out next time you’re traveling or backpacking through Europe.

This was a guest post from Tom at http://www.activebackpacker.com – he loves writing about places, tips and tricks all about backpacking.

To Lake Como’s north, and just south of the Swiss border, is the resort village of Madesimo, Italy. An ideal location for an intimate vacation in the Alps, it also close the bustling city of Milan. During the week, visitors can relax, or hop on a ski lift in order to enjoy the slopes without the weekend crowds. Also, this resort is home to the famed Canalone, one of the toughest slopes in Europe. By planning a vacation to take place between both the weekend and during the week, visitors can have two different experiences.

Crowds from Milan and surrounding Italian towns fill the resort during the weekend, and the mood of the town and its venues change. Local bars and hotels will fill with activity, but the savvy visitor will already be comfortably established at one of the town’s many accommodations. Here, visitors can experience both a sleepy, relaxing town nestled in the Italian Alps, as well as a thrilling European party scene.

Madesimo’s entertainment offerings are rarely matched throughout the world. For those interested in winter sports, the town boasts an extended winter, running from November into April, due to the high altitude of the resort. It is also because of its high altitude that the resort town is noted for its wide panoramic views of the mountainous countryside. The winter off-season, however, also has its attractions. Spring offers lush, beautiful landscapes for hikers, and Autumn provides a wide array of colors and a variety of landscape to view and explore. While the town may seem small in comparison to other well-known resort towns, Madesimo offers its visitors a singular experience. Bearing unparalleled qualities, Madesimo is certain to offer any visitor exactly what they want, in spring or winter, weekday or weekend, thrill or relaxation; This little resort town has it all for your Italian holiday.